I Am, As You May Imagine, Restless.
There Never Really Is Too Much To Do To Keep Occupied When Nothing's Going On.
My Ears Perk, I Can Hear The Steady Hum Of Activity.I Don't Even Have To Check To See What's Going On,Too Many Days Like This I've Sat Around To See What The Others Do When They Have Free Time Of Their Own.
The Soft Sounds Of Well-Worn Playing Cards Being Turned On Wood Tables.
The Flutter Of Book Pages.Bored Clinking Of Drinking Glasses, And Flasks.The Idle Chatter Of Soldiers, Riddled With Crude Humor And Mirth.That Always Gets Me, By The Way. I Hate It When People Go About Disgusting Jokes Thinking No One Can Hear Them.
The Scene's All Too Familiar.
It Might As Well Not Even Be Occurring, Because Those Same Sounds
Are Replayed Every Day, The Same People, The Same Cards, The Same Vulgar Jokes.None Of It Even Interests Me.
But, I Start For The Stairs Anyways,Even Though Here The Gentle Lull Of Rip's Operas And Sleepy Breaths Muffle The Sounds.
I Knew I Should Have Probably Just Laid In Bed Waiting For Exhaustion To Push
The Din Of Their Boredom Into The Back Of My Mind So I Can Sleep; But, For Some Odd Reason, I Didn't.
The Floorboards' Timid Creaking Echoing In The Empty Halls.
I Had Reached The Beginning Of The Long Staircase That Lead To The Barracks Where Most People Wasted Their Time, But Something Stopped Me.
The Captain's Room.
I Have Always Liked The Captain.
He Never Berates Me For My Clumsiness When It Comes To Tasks.He Never Tries To Intimidate Me.He Never Does Much Of Anything, And I Think That's One Of The Things I Enjoy.
His Face Is Always Calm, And So Is He.Always So Confidant In What He Does, But Never Speaking A Word Of Self-Praise.
Sometimes, I Like To Watch Him Sleep.
It's Odd, I Know, But He Always Seems At Peace When He's Asleep.Calm Is One Thing, But It's Very Hard To Feel Peaceful In These Times,
Even For The Captain.
I Slowly Turn The Knob, Afraid The Wry Creaking Of His Door Will Wake Him Up.
Admittedly, I've Woken Him Up Before.On More Than One Occasion, To Be Perfectly Honest.I Was Sitting In A Chair, Watching The Sheets Rise And Fall With His Breathing,And Suddenly, His Eyes Shot Open, And I Stood Stock-Still.
Everything Was Okay, Though.
He Was How He Usually Is; Silent, And Composed.
A Thin Smile Crossed His Lips And He Went Back To Sleep.
I Happily Recall That Day When I Made The Captain Smile, It Seems Nostalgic As I Press Against The Door, And Sit In The Same Chair I Always Do.
I Guess You Could Say I Like Being Around The Captain,
He Has A Very Commanding Presence, I Think
When The Doc Makes Me Assemble Puzzles, And Solve Problems, While He Scribbles On His Clipboard,Always A Little Disappointed In Anything I Have To Offer Him, I Always Hope The CaptainWill Enter The Room With News From The Major,Because I Know I Always Try My Best When The Captain Is Near.
I Always Try To Impress Him.
I Try My Hardest, When He Stares Vacantly At My As I Put Pieces Together, Not That My Best Is Always Impressive, But It's Reassuring To Know He's There.
I Glance Around His Quarters.
It's Very Minimalist: A Nightstand, His Bed, A Desk, A Bookshelf, And One Window.
His Uniform Is Folded Ever-Precisely And Set At The Foot Of His Bed, And
His Hat Droops Somberly At His Nightstand.
I Sigh Contently As I Count His Breaths.
For Some Reason, I Have No Qualms About Sitting In His Room,
I Always Feel At Ease Near Him, I've Even Forgotten The Din Of The Soldiers Downstairs.
My Eyes Ebb And Flow Between Sore And Soothed As I Open And Close My Eyes.
I Yawn As I Nestle On The Floor Beside His Bed.I Know It's Something I Probably Shouldn't Be Doing, That
I Might Be Risking The Captain Smiling At Me As I Sit To Watch Him Sleep Again.
But, I Can't Even Muster The Strength To Get Back To My Feet.
Oblivion Beckons Me, And The World Vanishes.
All Is At Peace, Like The Captain In His Sleep.
The Chiming Of Beer Glasses And Rustling Paper Gone As Well.
Normally, My Mind Would Race With Questions,
But Now, I Feel At Ease As Well.
And I Slept There, Carefree, And Curled At The Side Of The Captain,
Happy.